Nahum 3:2

ה֖וֹי עִ֣יר דָּמִ֑ים כֻּלָּ֗הּ כַּ֤חַשׁ פֶּ֙רֶק֙ מְלֵאָ֔ה לֹ֥א יָמִ֖ישׁ טָֽרֶף׃ Ah, city of crime,
Utterly treacherous,
Full of violence,
Where killing never stops!

פָּרָ֣שׁ מַעֲלֶ֗ה וְלַ֤הַב חֶ֙רֶב֙ וּבְרַ֣ק חֲנִ֔ית וְרֹ֥ב חָלָ֖ל וְכֹ֣בֶד פָּ֑גֶר וְאֵ֥ין קֵ֙צֶה֙ לַגְּוִיָּ֔ה (יכשלו) [וְכָשְׁל֖וּ] בִּגְוִיָּתָֽם׃ Charging cavalry,
Flashing swords,
And glittering spears!
Hosts of slain
And heaps of corpses,
Dead bodies without number—
They stumble over bodies.

מֵרֹב֙ זְנוּנֵ֣י זוֹנָ֔ה ט֥וֹבַת חֵ֖ן בַּעֲלַ֣ת כְּשָׁפִ֑ים הַמֹּכֶ֤רֶת גּוֹיִם֙ בִּזְנוּנֶ֔יהָ וּמִשְׁפָּח֖וֹת בִּכְשָׁפֶֽיהָ׃ Because of the countless whoredoms of the whore,
The winsome mistress of sorcery,
Who ensnared^aensnared Meaning of Heb. uncertain. nations with her whoredoms
And peoples with her sorcery,

הִנְנִ֣י אֵלַ֗יִךְ נְאֻם֙ יְהֹוָ֣ה צְבָא֔וֹת וְגִלֵּיתִ֥י שׁוּלַ֖יִךְ עַל־פָּנָ֑יִךְ וְהַרְאֵיתִ֤י גוֹיִם֙ מַעְרֵ֔ךְ וּמַמְלָכ֖וֹת קְלוֹנֵֽךְ׃ I am going to deal with you
—declares GOD of Hosts.
I will lift up your skirts over your face
And display your nakedness to the nations
And your shame to kingdoms.

וְהִשְׁלַכְתִּ֥י עָלַ֛יִךְ שִׁקֻּצִ֖ים וְנִבַּלְתִּ֑יךְ וְשַׂמְתִּ֖יךְ כְּרֹֽאִי׃ I will throw loathsome things over you
And disfigure you
And make a spectacle of you.

וְהָיָ֤ה כׇל־רֹאַ֙יִךְ֙ יִדּ֣וֹד מִמֵּ֔ךְ וְאָמַר֙ שׇׁדְּדָ֣ה נִֽינְוֵ֔ה מִ֖י יָנ֣וּד לָ֑הּ מֵאַ֛יִן אֲבַקֵּ֥שׁ מְנַחֲמִ֖ים לָֽךְ׃ All who see you will recoil from you
And will say,
“Nineveh has been ravaged!”
Who will console her?
Where shall I look for
Anyone to comfort you?

הֲתֵֽיטְבִי֙ מִנֹּ֣א אָמ֔וֹן הַיֹּֽשְׁבָה֙ בַּיְאֹרִ֔ים מַ֖יִם סָבִ֣יב לָ֑הּ אֲשֶׁר־חֵ֣יל יָ֔ם מִיָּ֖ם חוֹמָתָֽהּ׃ Were you any better than No-amon,^bNo-amon Amon was the tutelary deity of No (Thebes; cf. Jer. 46.25), which the Assyrians had sacked in 663 BCE.
Which sat by the Nile,
Surrounded by water—
Its rampart a river,^criver Heb. “sea.”
Its wall consisting of sea?

כּ֥וּשׁ עׇצְמָ֛ה וּמִצְרַ֖יִם וְאֵ֣ין קֵ֑צֶה פּ֣וּט וְלוּבִ֔ים הָי֖וּ בְּעֶזְרָתֵֽךְ׃ Populous Cush
And teeming Egypt,
Put and the Libyans—
They were her^dher Heb. “your.” helpers.

גַּם־הִ֗יא לַגֹּלָה֙ הָלְכָ֣ה בַשֶּׁ֔בִי גַּ֧ם עֹלָלֶ֛יהָ יְרֻטְּשׁ֖וּ בְּרֹ֣אשׁ כׇּל־חוּצ֑וֹת וְעַל־נִכְבַּדֶּ֙יהָ֙ יַדּ֣וּ גוֹרָ֔ל וְכׇל־גְּדוֹלֶ֖יהָ רֻתְּק֥וּ בַזִּקִּֽים׃ Yet even she was exiled,
She went into captivity.
Her babes, too, were dashed in pieces
At every street corner.
Lots were cast for her nobles,
And all her dignitaries were bound in chains.

גַּם־אַ֣תְּ תִּשְׁכְּרִ֔י תְּהִ֖י נַעֲלָמָ֑ה גַּם־אַ֛תְּ תְּבַקְשִׁ֥י מָע֖וֹז מֵאוֹיֵֽב׃ You too shall be drunk
And utterly overcome;^eovercome Meaning of Heb. uncertain.
You too shall seek
A refuge from the enemy.

כׇּ֨ל־מִבְצָרַ֔יִךְ תְּאֵנִ֖ים עִם־בִּכּוּרִ֑ים אִם־יִנּ֕וֹעוּ וְנָפְל֖וּ עַל־פִּ֥י אוֹכֵֽל׃ All your forts are fig trees
With^fWith Emendation yields “Your troops are”; cf. next verse. ripe fruit;
If shaken they will fall
Into the mouths of devourers.

הִנֵּ֨ה עַמֵּ֤ךְ נָשִׁים֙ בְּקִרְבֵּ֔ךְ לְאֹ֣יְבַ֔יִךְ פָּת֥וֹחַ נִפְתְּח֖וּ שַׁעֲרֵ֣י אַרְצֵ֑ךְ אָכְלָ֥ה אֵ֖שׁ בְּרִיחָֽיִךְ׃ Truly, the troops within you are women;
The gates of your land have opened themselves
To your enemies;
Fire has consumed your gate bars.

מֵ֤י מָצוֹר֙ שַֽׁאֲבִי־לָ֔ךְ חַזְּקִ֖י מִבְצָרָ֑יִךְ בֹּ֧אִי בַטִּ֛יט וְרִמְסִ֥י בַחֹ֖מֶר הַחֲזִ֥יקִי מַלְבֵּֽן׃ Draw water for the siege,
Strengthen your forts;
Tread the clay,
Trample the mud,
Grasp the brick mold!

שָׁ֚ם תֹּאכְלֵ֣ךְ אֵ֔שׁ תַּכְרִיתֵ֣ךְ חֶ֔רֶב תֹּאכְלֵ֖ךְ כַּיָּ֑לֶק הִתְכַּבֵּ֣ד כַּיֶּ֔לֶק הִֽתְכַּבְּדִ֖י כָּאַרְבֶּֽה׃ There fire will devour you,
The sword will put an end to you;
It will devour you like the grub.
Multiply like grubs,
Multiply like locusts!^gMultiply like grubs, Multiply like locusts Meaning of Heb. uncertain.

הִרְבֵּית֙ רֹכְלַ֔יִךְ מִכּוֹכְבֵ֖י הַשָּׁמָ֑יִם יֶ֥לֶק פָּשַׁ֖ט וַיָּעֹֽף׃ You had more traders
Than the sky has stars—
The grubs cast their skins and fly away.

מִנְּזָרַ֙יִךְ֙ כָּֽאַרְבֶּ֔ה וְטַפְסְרַ֖יִךְ כְּג֣וֹב גֹּבָ֑י הַחוֹנִ֤ים בַּגְּדֵרוֹת֙ בְּי֣וֹם קָרָ֔ה שֶׁ֤מֶשׁ זָֽרְחָה֙ וְנוֹדַ֔ד וְלֹא־נוֹדַ֥ע מְקוֹמ֖וֹ אַיָּֽם׃ Your guards were like locusts,
Your marshals like piles of hoppers
That settle on the stone fences
On a chilly day;
When the sun comes out, they fly away,
And where they are nobody knows.

נָמ֤וּ רֹעֶ֙יךָ֙ מֶ֣לֶךְ אַשּׁ֔וּר יִשְׁכְּנ֖וּ אַדִּירֶ֑יךָ נָפֹ֧שׁוּ עַמְּךָ֛ עַל־הֶהָרִ֖ים וְאֵ֥ין מְקַבֵּֽץ׃ Your shepherds are slumbering,
O king of Assyria;
Your sheepmasters are lying inert;^hlying inert Lit. “dwelling”; emendation yields “asleep.”
Your people are scatteredⁱscattered Meaning of Heb. uncertain. over the hills,
And there is none to gather them.

אֵין־כֵּהָ֣ה לְשִׁבְרֶ֔ךָ נַחְלָ֖ה מַכָּתֶ֑ךָ כֹּ֣ל ׀ שֹׁמְעֵ֣י שִׁמְעֲךָ֗ תָּ֤קְעוּ כַף֙ עָלֶ֔יךָ כִּ֗י עַל־מִ֛י לֹא־עָבְרָ֥ה רָעָתְךָ֖ תָּמִֽיד׃ There is no healing^jhealing Heb. kehah, a variant of gehah; see Prov. 17.22. for your injury;
Your wound is grievous.
All who hear the news about you
Clap their hands over you.
For who has not suffered
From your constant malice?